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Trina Solar hits 24.13 percent efficiency with IBC solar cell

Trina Solar sent word that its State Key Laboratory (SKL) of PV Science and Technology (PVST) has set a new record of 24.13% total-area efficiency for a large-area (156 x 156mm2) n-type mono-crystalline silicon (c-Si) Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) solar cell.

Testing details

The record-breaking n-type mono-crystalline silicon solar cell was fabricated on a large-sized phosphorous-doped Cz Silicon substrate with a low-cost industrial IBC process, featuring conventional tube doping technologies and fully screen-printed metallization. The 156×156 mm2 solar cell reached a total-area efficiency of 24.13% as independently measured by the Japan Electrical Safety & Environment Technology Laboratories (JET). The IBC solar cell has a total measured area of 243.3cm2 and was measured without any aperture. The champion cell presents the following characteristics: an open-circuit voltage Voc of 702.7mV, a short-circuit current density Jsc of 42.1 mA/cm2 and a fill factor FF of 81.47%.

In February 2014, Trina Solar and the Australian National University (ANU) jointly announced a world record aperture efficiency of 24.37% for a laboratory-scale 4cm2 IBC solar cell, fabricated on a Float Zone (FZ) n-type substrate and using photolithography patterning.

In December 2014, Trina Solar announced a 22.94% total-area efficiency for an industrial version, large size (156x 156mm2, 6″ substrate), IBC solar cell. In April 2016, Trina Solar announced an improved industrial low-cost IBC solar cell with a total-area efficiency of 23.5%. The new record of 24.13% total-area efficiency is just 0.24% absolute below the small-area laboratory cell record aperture-efficiency jointly established by the Company and ANU. Total-area efficiencies are always lower than aperture-efficiencies, due to efficiency losses related to the edges of the cells and electrical contact areas.